The Listening The Rock N Roll Worship Circus Becomes The Listening
Artist Info:Discography Album length: 2 Discs, 14 tracks Street Date: November 15, 2005 / February 14, 2006
In 2003, the Rock N Roll Worship Circus experienced a season of change when a few member shuffles
lead to a shift in style and focus for the modern worship act. Last Summer, the classic rock quartet
released the impressive The Listening EP, already displaying a major change in musical and
lyrical songwriting. The music took a more emotional turn and explored a darker side, all the while
stretching the band's artistic boundaries. 2005 marks the next step in the band's evolution, as a name
change and further stylistic shift occurs with their latest release.
Aptly titled, The Rock N Roll Worship Circus Becomes The Listening picks up where
The Listening EP left off, but solidifies the shift from a more worship-focused writing style
to a more meditative approach. "The Listening" proves to be an ideal choice for a new moniker, as the songs'
more subdued and atmospheric style strays a great distance from the inviting, interactive worship stylings
of the former band's music. The album opens with "Glory Of The Feared," one of the few worshipfully-written
tracks included. The band's stylistic changes are noticeable immediately and are likely to surprise some longtime fans.
But it's after repeated listens that these songs really start to come alive. "Triple Fascination" is a song
the band has performed live for a year and a half now, serving as one of the album's many highlights as the writer
revels in the wonder of the Trinity. "Be In Your Eyes" is a love song
from the Father to one of His children who wants to be a part of their life once again. The almost melancholic
feel of the album's songs fuses the messages with a greater sense of urgency or, in this song's case, heartache.
Gabriel Wilson's soft vocals play off as sort of a still small voice as the Lord laments, "I want to be in
your eyes again / wanna be in your eyes and then / press my lips upon your skin / breathe the air you're breathing..."
"Hosea In CMinor" is a six-minute musical tour de force that features some of the album's strongest moments.
The instrumental "Prelude" drifts into "Hosea," an emotionally moving song that, much like "Be In Your Eyes,"
is told from our Heavenly Father's perspective.
"Are We Listening?" and "(Untitled)" are pulled from last year's independently release EP, finding a new home amongst
its first national release. The song is a nice inclusion but feels strikingly more upbeat than the rest of the new
material. "The Factory" is one of the darkest songs on the record, utilizing a standout drum beat and Wilson's haunting
vocals to aid in the painting of a metaphorical picture about evangelism. The album ends on a mellow note, first
with the sorrowful "Lovely Red Lights," written for the people of Amsterdam, and closing with the beautiful meditation
on love, "Everything Is Nothing."
One thing that stands out about The Listening's sound when comparing it to the previous works of The Rock
N Roll Worship Circus, is that the joy found in those songs is absent from the new recordings. But there's something
special and unique about this batch of songs. The Listening takes a new approach seldom seen in Christian music and covers
topics seldom discussed in a very impacting. If anything, the songs are more convicting than ever before.
The only thing The Rock N Roll Worship Circus Becomes... may suffer from is a sense of sameness from track to
track. The Listening EP was rather diverse as it took the listener through its short but tight six-song composition.
This record starts off on a melodic and melancholic tone that continues to the end, only being slightly interrupted by
"{Untitled)" from the previous record. At first listen, it seemed to pose a serious problem, but after some time, the songs
began to separate and speak greater volumes on their own.
The Listening is arguably a bold and somewhat risky move for the boys from Washington State. Their new name and
sound should take the band in directions they previously couldn't venture in. But as these guys continue to push the envelope
of the artistry of Christians making music, it's a project like this that only makes me all that more excited about what
we're apart of. So to answer a question proposed by the band on this and their previous effort, Yes! I'm listening...
and you should too.
- Review date: 11/13/05, written by John DiBiase
Artist Info:Discography Record Label: (independent)
Album length: 2 Discs, 14 tracks
Street Date: November 15, 2005 (independently) / February 14, 2006 (nationally)
Buy It:The Listening's Store
Artist Info: 
